While not an actual dental treatment, we provide periodontal charting in Vancouver, Washington. This is a quick, easy and noninvasive procedure, but it is still extremely important to your oral health and can give our dentist important information about the development of your smile over time.
Simply put, periodontal charting is the process of measuring and recording the space between your teeth and gum tissue, and it is something we will do during every checkup at Two Rivers Dentistry. A dental hygienist will insert a probe into the area between your tooth and gums to see how deep it will reach. Periodontal charting is also used to check for bleeding and to determine if gum disease is present. Since gum disease is often painless at the onset, this part of your exam can alert Dr. Vaughn Teuscher to a potential problem. Not only can this process help detect gum disease but it can also tell our team how it is progressing and whether or not your current treatment plan is effective.
Ideally, there should only be a gap of 1 to 3 millimeters at most. Plaque and tartar causes swelling and can create areas 4 millimeters or deeper. A gap of 12 millimeters can indicate a serious problem with your gums. If you would like to schedule a visit to our office to check the health of your gums, call 360-256-1202 and speak with a member of our team.